This is my quest to use Woman's Day magazine as a guide to living a better life, month to month, by incorporating as many of the articles, recipes, and advertising into my life as possible. My goal is to grow as a person, discover more about myself and others, and test my limits, boundaries, and abilities.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Advertisement: Hopey Meals

It was late into the summer when we learned that Andreas had been admitted to the hospital with a mysterious illness. He was the boy in my Sunday School class I had hoped to watch from the football stands some day--the football stands surrounding a professional foot ball arena. Active and curious, protective of his grandmother, hyper active, and the very definition of "swagger."

It's the call you get and feel a bit of concern. The call that prompts you to request prayer, although a few days of school missed will more than likely be the biggest outcome.

Weeks later, I sat with my brother in the waiting room at the University of Virginia, expecting to say our last goodbyes. Andreas and his family had been friends for decades and his condition rapidly declined. His kidneys were failing, his little body swollen. We were expecting the worst, hoping for small change.

They still don't know what illness caused the stroke that resulted in a double amputation.

Andreas's mother, whose insurance didn't begin to cover all the medical expenses, was able to stay by her son's side for the months required for recovery at little to no cost because of the Ronald Mcdonald House charity that enables parents to stay close by their sick children.

After my trip to the gym the other night, I picked up a Happy Meal. I ordered a hamburger, and "apple fries" along with chocolate milk (I hear it's good for your muscles after a work out). Skimming through Woman's Day I discovered for the first time the purchase of a Happy Meal generates proceeds going toward charities like the Ronald Mcdonald House.